


The Right Man for the Job

by trickydeepforest



Category: Glee
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Past Adam Crawford/Kurt Hummel, hired wedding date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 01:42:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16440662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickydeepforest/pseuds/trickydeepforest
Summary: There is no way that Kurt is going to Tina's wedding still single.  He doesn't want to give Adam the chance to say 'I told you so'.  He thought about hiring someone from one of those services, but there's a fellow student at NYADA that might fill the role better.





	The Right Man for the Job

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chasingkerouac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasingkerouac/gifts).



> And here I am, bringing up the rear, almost a month and a half late with my Klaine Fic Exchange gift. I am so sorry for my tardiness, but the universe was determined to make me forget there was such a thing as free time. Thank you to SnarkyHag and Slayediest for the last minute beta work, and for helping me make sense.
> 
> I have made Adam rather OOC here, but it worked better in my mind than an OC. I have nothing against canon!Adam.
> 
> Original prompt: AU. One of them needs a date to a wedding/reunion, because their ex will be there and they can't let the ex know they are sad and single. Perfect solution is to hire someone to be their date. Will they accidentally fall in love with their fake!date? Spoiler alert: yes.

Kurt hovered just out of sight, adjusting his outfit until everything was just so and resisting the urge to find a mirror to check on his hair. It was fine 5 minutes ago, it would still be fine now. He knew from his borderline stalking of Blaine Anderson that he was rarely both alone and not involved in some kind of musical activity so, if Kurt didn’t take his chance now, he probably wouldn’t get another one.

  
“It’ll be fine,” he told himself. “If he laughs at you, so what? He won’t be the first. The semester’s almost over anyway.” Taking a deep breath, he stepped purposefully to the small table where Blaine was eating his lunch.

  
“Blaine Anderson? I’m Kurt Hummel. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second.” He held out his hand as Blaine looked up.

  
Wow. He knew Blaine’s eyes were gorgeous from a distance, but he hadn’t realized how mesmerizing they were up close. Blaine smiled at him, practically beaming with friendly interest.

  
“Kurt? Hi.” He gave Kurt’s hand a quick shake, then gestured to the chair across from him. “Why don’t you have a seat. What can I do for you?”

Kurt tried to remember the exact order of how he wanted to approach this, but it was a lot harder to be cool and collected sitting across from Blaine than it had been practicing in his apartment by himself.

“I saw you in that senior’s student production last week, and you were absolutely marvelous. I just, I wanted to ask you... Are you really in love with the guy who played your boyfriend?” Kurt held his breath, suddenly dreading the answer more than he expected to. But when Blaine wrinkled his nose up and looked at Kurt like he was worried about his sanity, Kurt knew that this first stumbling block was cleared before Blaine even spoke.

“If you weren’t a fellow student at NYADA, I’d ask if you knew what the word ‘acting’ meant. No, I am definitely not in love with Alan Johnson. He’s the only person I’ve ever met who always smells like a potato. How do you even manage that in the middle of New York City?” 

Kurt let out a small huff of laughter before squaring his shoulders for the next hurdle. “I didn’t really think you were, I just needed to make sure. You see, I’ve never seen someone look so in love with another person as you did in that play, and I’d like to hire you for a similar performance, if you’re available.”

Blaine cocked his head slightly. “So not for a school project. Are you putting on a play in the city this summer?”

All of Kurt’s previously chosen words were gone from his head. “Umm...it’s not for a play. It’s actually for a… ummm, private function. For like, a four day trip.”

Blaine just shook his head slightly, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m not following you.”

Kurt couldn’t blame him. He was having trouble following himself. How had he never noticed how triangular Blaine’s eyebrows were? Kurt never would have thought anyone could pull off that look, but he would have been wrong.

He had to pull himself together. Standing there staring at Blaine with a dazed expression on his face could not possibly be helping his chances. He would act like the professional that he someday hoped to be.

  
Remember your goal, Hummel. “Blaine Anderson, I would like to hire you to come to a wedding with me and pretend to be my boyfriend.”

+++

Kurt had started to fear he had broken him, as Blaine had blinked those golden eyes at him in apparent shock for what to Kurt felt like a solid minute. Instead, Blaine declared himself cautiously intrigued and suggested they meet for dinner to discuss it further, as he had somewhere to get to.

  
So, about seven hours later, Kurt found himself once again sitting across a small table from Blaine. This time they were in a tiny Italian restaurant a few miles off campus. They exchanged polite small talk until they had placed their orders with the waitress, and once the menus were out of the way Blaine folded his hands on the table. “So. I have some questions.”

  
“Unsurprising. Dive right in.”

  
Blaine flashed a quick smile at him.  
"The first one is obvious. Why do you want to hire someone to be your boyfriend for this wedding?”

Kurt gave a dramatic sigh. “I do hate to be a cliche, but in this case it’s true.”

Blaine raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to your ex’s wedding?”

“Close, but no. He wouldn’t invite me and I wouldn’t go if he did. Instead, I’m going to a wedding where he’s standing up for the groom and I’m standing up for the bride. Setting up our best friends together seemed like a good idea when we were still in the early days of our relationship.”

“And, let me guess, your ex is coming with his new fabulous boyfriend.”

Kurt shrugged. “I know he’s bringing someone. I don’t really know anything about him. I just know I can’t show up still single.”

Blaine gave him a considering look, but thankfully moved on. “Ok, next question. Since you know the clichés, I assume you also know that there are services for exactly this type of situation. Professional fake boyfriends.”

Kurt had anticipated this question. “I know, and if you don’t want to do it, that’s my next step. It’s just a really big gamble. A lot of my friends will be there, as well as my ex. People who know me really well. And let’s just say that after the missteps of my high school days, I have a reputation for being really particular about who I spend my time with. The chances that some agency will send someone that everyone buys as my type seem pretty slim.”

Blaine blinked in surprise. “But they’ll believe I’m your type?”

“Gorgeous, well dressed, musical.” Kurt waved a hand at him. “No one will doubt it, trust me.”

Blaine ducked his head for a moment, a small smile curling the corner of his mouth. “Ok, one more question. Am I playing the role of a lovesick fool?”

“What do you mean?” Kurt asked, frowning.

“Well, you mentioned that you wanted someone who acted like they were in love with you, but you didn’t say anything about you being in love with them. Did you want someone that followed you around like a pathetic fool, while you stay distant and superior?”

Even though Blaine’s tone was as friendly as ever, Kurt flushed red. “I see my reputation at NYADA has preceded me.”

Blaine shrugged. “I don’t put much faith in gossip but I have seen you around the school and you’ve always seemed so unapproachable.”

Now it was Kurt’s turn to blink in surprise. “I didn’t realize you knew I existed before I introduced myself to you this afternoon.” 

Blaine smirked. “Gorgeous, well dressed, musical. Besides, I saw you sing at the Winter Invitational last semester. You were...memorable.”

“Why, thank you.” Kurt said, pleased. “Now to answer your question, no. I would act like I was in love with you, too. This isn't to show that I have guys falling all over me, but to show him that I can have a happy relationship.”

“You mean a happy relationship despite the fact you’re no longer with him?”

“No,” Kurt said, brows furrowed. “I just meant in general. I don’t think what I had with Adam was a happy relationship.”

“Oh,” Blaine said, sounding surprised. He was quiet for a few minutes, looking down at his hands on the table. 

Kurt tried not to fidget nervously, taking a sip of his water, letting Blaine have time to consider. It wasn’t a flat out ‘no’, which was more than Kurt had expected. He was surprised to realize how badly he wanted Blaine to say ‘yes’. Not just because he would have someone to bring with him but because that someone would be Blaine.

“Are you doing this to make Adam jealous? To try to get him back?”

Kurt snorted, “Not in the least.” Blaine studied Kurt’s face for a moment, then returned to his contemplative silence.

“When is the wedding?” Blaine asked and Kurt felt a surge of hope run through him.

“The actual wedding date is June 26th, but I have to be there on the 23rd. And by ‘there’, I mean Philadelphia.”

“So we’d have about 3 weeks between the end of finals and when we’d have to be there? And I assume you’re staying here in New York until then?” Kurt nodded. “Okay, I’ll agree to this crazy scheme on one condition.”

Kurt wiggled in excitement before he could stop himself. At Blaine’s amused look, he cleared his throat and asked in an exaggeratedly professional voice. “And what condition would that be?”

“That we spend as much time together as possible before the wedding. We get to know each other, learn to act like boyfriends. And Kurt,” Blaine reached out to touch Kurt’s hand and Kurt flinched slightly in surprise. “We’re going to have to practice some physical affection. I’m not talking about making out, but if your body language isn’t relaxed when I’m close to you, no one is going to believe us.”

Kurt blushed and nodded, looking down. He knew he wasn’t exactly a touchy feely person. Even with Adam, who he’d been with for 6 months, he’d never gotten comfortable with casual affection. It was one of the many things Adam had used as a weapon against him when they’d broken up.

“It’s a deal,” Kurt whispered, and turned his hand over to clasp Blaine’s hand in his. Then he gasped, “Oh! We never talked about payment!”

Blaine gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m not worried about it. We can settle that later.”

Kurt opened his mouth to argue, but lost his train of thought. He had never been one for holding eye contact with people he barely knew, but Blaine’s eyes were compelling enough that he could happily stare at them for minutes at a time.

  
Then suddenly a plate thunked down on the table between them, and they jerked their hands apart. Kurt felt himself blushing, feeling as though they had been interrupted doing something intimate, but when he glanced at Blaine and saw that he looked a little flustered too, Kurt couldn’t help but giggle. Blaine gave him a shy smile, and just like that, any potential awkwardness was gone.

  
As they started to eat, they fell into getting-to-know-you small talk, the kind that was typical first date material - favorite movies, music and shows, experiences at NYADA and rough outlines of their life histories. They stayed so long the waitress kept giving them dirty looks, and by the end of the evening Kurt was pretty certain about a few things: he had made the right choice asking Blaine, they might actually pull this off, and he could never eat at that restaurant during that waitress’s shift again.

++

Over the next few days they met up for quick lunches when their schedules allowed. They were in the thick of finals week and had agreed not to stress about expecting anything more until they were done. Even phone calls were kept to a minimum, though the texts came steadily. Blaine’s texts mostly reinforced Kurt’s first impressions of him: smart, sweet, observant. He was also a lot funnier than Kurt had expected and surprisingly flirty. Kurt appreciated Blaine’s choice to jump right into character and upped his own game, keeping his texts classy but full of double entendres 

The night before the last day of finals, Kurt got a message from Blaine asking if he would like to come over to study together. After a solid week of studying, Kurt was feeling incredibly sick of his own place so he jumped at the chance. Besides, he found he already missed Blaine’s company.

Blaine’s apartment was small but neat, and very well decorated for a college student. Kurt wandered around briefly, admiring the small touches of personality that Blaine had added to the place. His own style was slightly different, but Kurt started to imagine how the two could blend and complement each other…. and why was he thinking about this exactly? He looked away from a photo on the wall showing Blaine in a good natured pile with a bunch of other guys (high school friends?), looking for a distraction from all sorts of thoughts he shouldn’t be having.

  
The only thing that didn’t match the rest of the decor was a rather ugly overstuffed sofa. Kurt glanced from it to Blaine with a raised eyebrow.

“I know, I know, but wait until you sit on it. Or better yet, lay down. I think it’s more comfortable than my bed,” Blaine said, his hands raised in front of him. After both of them had gathered their notes, they settled down on opposite sides of the couch from each other and Kurt found that Blaine was right. It was a ridiculously comfortable couch. Though they started out sitting up properly, it wasn’t long until they were both lounging sideways, their legs intertwined on the middle cushion.

Eventually, Kurt put his notebook aside and wiggled down even further, until his head was down on the cushion. He closed his eyes for just a second - and woke up to find that Blaine was now sitting in the middle of the couch, with Kurt’s legs draped over his lap.

Kurt tensed for a second, and then stretched and yawned to try to cover his moment of awkwardness. “I’m giving serious consideration to stealing this couch.”

“I would reconsider if I were you. It’s deceptively dangerous. Once you know how comfortable it is, you can’t help but sit down, and then the next thing you know you’re napping again. Everybody warned me about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and partying too much, but if I end up flunking out of college it will probably be because of this couch.” Blaine ran his hands up and down Kurt’s lower legs as he talked, in what seemed to be an absent-minded gesture, and Kurt found that instead of feeling like an invasion of his space it just added to his feeling of contentment. 

“Is there a twelve step program that you can recommend? Because I feel like I might already be addicted.”

Blaine leaned over until he was peering down into Kurt’s face. Kurt’s eyes immediately went to Blaine’s lips, and almost missed what Blaine was saying. “That was fast. Given some of the outfits I’ve seen you in I wouldn’t have pegged you as someone who was so susceptible to comfort.”

“Fashion is an important part of my life. But so are naps.” Kurt stretched again, then wiggled his body a little deeper into the cushions. “This is better than a massage. I don’t think I’ve ever been so relaxed in my life. Propositioning you to be my fake date is now officially one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”

Blaine snorted. “Apparently I’ve been going about trying to impress my dates the wrong way. I should just invite them over and sit on the couch with them. After I’ve decided I like them, of course. I don’t want to add the couch factor in to trying to get rid of a bad date.” Blaine’s smile gentled a little as he studied Kurt’s face. “Since you’re so relaxed, it might be a good time to get this out of the way.”

Kurt hummed his question, and then had a split second to process what was happening before Blaine’s lips descended on his.

The kiss was gentle and soft, and Kurt only froze for a second before kissing back, following Blaine’s lead and keeping it to just lips and slow movement. Despite that, Kurt felt warmth start to spread through his body, and if it wasn’t for the couch induced lethargy that it had to fight against, desire might have caused him quite the embarrassment. ‘It was just a kiss,’ he told himself as Blaine pulled away, and he forced himself not to chase after his lips. ‘You really need to start looking for a new boyfriend if this is how you react to a simple kiss.’

Blaine was smiling brightly at him. “I think that went pretty well. I didn’t feel like it was awkward at all. By the time our practice period is up, we should have no trouble in this department.”

Kurt swallowed heavily and nodded. “One less thing to worry about.” 

 

++

  
The day after finals ended, Kurt heard a knock at his door. He opened it only to be greeted by a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

“Oh my god, Blaine, what is this?”

Blaine handed it over with another dazzling smile. “Did I guess right? You seemed like the kind of guy who would enjoy getting flowers.”

Kurt was still admiring the bouquet. It wasn’t the biggest in the world, but it was a creative and colorful arrangement of exotic flowers, some of which Kurt couldn’t even name. “I absolutely love it. I can’t believe you did this.” Then his brain came back online. “You have to let me know how much it cost so I can pay you back.” 

“Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t very much,” Blaine said, all innocence.

Kurt sighed. “Let me put these in water, then let’s walk to the park to argue about it.”

Blaine, however, jumped right into questions as soon as they were able to walk side by side away from the loud traffic.

“So, I guessed right on the flowers. I enjoy flowers too, by the way, if we want to make that one of our things. What other kind of romantic gestures do you like? “

Kurt felt a bit flummoxed. “I’m really not sure.”

Blaine gave him a confused look. “Well, what kind of things did Adam do for you that you liked? We can either make up stories where I one-up him on similar things, or we can go with completely different ideas.”

“There were some flowers in the beginning, but Adam and I didn’t really do romantic gestures.”

Blaine was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry, you just seemed like the romantic type. Of course we can skip this whole subject if your friends won’t buy it as something you’d do.”

Kurt frowned a little, looking over at Blaine. “Is it something you’d do with a new boyfriend? When we first got together, I tried surprising Adam with things like special dinners and handmade gifts, but he said that was high school level stuff, that romance was for teenagers and movies. He was my first boyfriend, so I just followed his lead and stopped trying.”

“Kurt,” Blaine started and then was silent for a few steps. He reached out and casually snagged Kurt’s hand, swinging their joined hands lightly between them as they walked. “I haven’t had a boyfriend in a while, but my favorite part of being in a relationship is all the little things that you do for each other; the surprises and the gifts and just showing the other person that you’re thinking of them. And even though I’m still technically a teenager for a few more months, I don’t think that’s just going to fade away when I get a little older. Life can get awfully boring very quickly when you don’t take the time to inject a little magic into otherwise ordinary days.”

Kurt kept his eyes trained on the skyline as he fought an inexplicable urge to cry. Blaine seemed to understand that he needed a moment, and walked quietly beside him, still holding his hand. When Kurt finally felt in control he pulled them to a stop in front of an empty bench on the side of the park.

“Wait here for a moment. My turn to surprise you.”

++

“This was a good idea. I love picnics.” Blaine said happily. “You’re a natural at this romance stuff. Adam really told you to stop? Does he not like joy? Does he hate rainbows and puppies, too?”

Kurt shrugged, picking up another cracker to spread cheese on. Tina had told him about the deli that had ready made picnics-to-go a long time ago, but he’d never had the opportunity to give them a try before. “He seemed like a really happy person when we first got together. I don’t think I’d’ve gone out with him a second time if he was all serious and miserable. But he had very strong opinions on how people should act, both privately and publicly, and he didn’t really like to do things that he felt were a waste of time. He thought it was more important to focus on our careers. He was older than me, and had seen a lot more of the world. Most of my ideas came from TV and movies, what did I know? He made me feel like a kid who was desperately trying to prove I was a grown-up, ready for a grown-up relationship.”

“Well, I’ll tell you a secret I’ve learned, both through my relationships and those of my friends - there’s no right way to have a relationship. There’s no official adult checklist that you have to make sure you complete. As long as both people are happy and honest and loving, you can spend the majority of your time having teddy bear tea parties and no one should judge you for it.”

Kurt looked at Blaine for a long moment. “Thank you. But in all seriousness, I would totally judge someone whose main passion was teddy bear tea parties.”

Blaine tried to hold his glare, but cracked up after a few seconds. “Oh, I would too. That was a horrible example.”

++

  
Over the next two weeks they started an unspoken competition to out-romance each other. Picnics became elaborate affairs in ever more exotic locations. Small gifts were handmade and thoughtful. Kurt became an expert at making bow ties and Blaine really had a knack for finding small vintage pieces at thrift stores that Kurt could tailor and refurbish.

  
Kurt found himself forgetting why they were doing this in the first place. Blaine liked to greet him with a quick kiss and hold his hand while they walked through the city, both things that Kurt had fantasized about for years before dating Adam and being told that he was too old for. It wasn’t long before just knowing that he was going to see Blaine again soon was enough to bring a smile to his face. He resolutely refused to acknowledge to himself why that was.

  
And then, a week before they had to be in Philly, he got a text from Adam.

  
Kurt was checking his phone after getting off the subway, rushing home after a shift at Vogue to get ready to meet Blaine for the evening, when the sight of Adam’s name made him nearly stop in his tracks. It was only the impatience of other pedestrians around him that got him out of his head and moving again. He purposefully put his phone back in his bag and refused to look at the message until he got home.

  
Adam had not contacted him once since they broke up . Kurt’s mind went in a million different directions trying to predict what the message would be about. Best case scenario, it was something neutral about wedding preparations. Although why it would come to him through Adam and not Tina didn’t make a lot of sense. Unless it was some kind of surprise for the happy couple?

  
When he got home, Kurt forced himself to go through his normal routine before he checked the message. He hung his jacket up carefully and changed out of his fabulous but rather uncomfortable work outfit.

Finally, he picked up his phone and opened the message.

  
“I find myself eager to see you next week. Despite our problems, I have missed you. Marco said you’re bringing someone to the wedding. I admit I’m surprised, as I had heard through the grapevine that you’d only had a few unsuccessful first dates since we split up. Not everybody is up for the challenge of dating Kurt Hummel! Maybe your new guy sees a prize worth the effort.”

Thirty minutes passed before Kurt typed out a quick ‘I’ll see you next week’ and finished getting ready to meet Blaine. 

++

“Are you okay? You seem kind of down?”

Kurt looked up from staring at his coffee cup and into Blaine’s concerned face. They’d met at a new coffee shop that had been advertising a claim of the city’s best cheesecake. Blaine had been as friendly and enthusiastic as ever, but Kurt had yet to muster up any enthusiasm.

“I got a text from Adam. First one since the breakup.” Kurt took a sip of his coffee, then set it down carefully. “I guess I’ve been having so much fun with you, that I kind of lost sight of why I was doing this. Why *we* were doing this. And it brought back all of the stress of having to see him again.” Kurt was quiet for a moment, thankful that Blaine seemed to understand he had more to say.

“But it also reminded me that I haven’t had a friend in awhile. None of Adam’s and my mutual friends stuck around after the split. I’m not very good at making friends on my own, it seems. I was starting to feel and behave like I had an awesome new friend in my life, but that text made me remember that I hired you to hang out with me.”

“Kurt, no, it’s not like that. I mean it is, but it isn’t. It’s...” Blaine blew out an exasperated breath, then reached out and put his hands over Kurt’s.

“What I’m trying to say here, is that I really like you too. I have quite a few friends, but I feel like you’re going to be a special one. It never occurred to me that after the wedding we would just stop hanging out together. If you suggested that I would be heartbroken. And I’m going to do everything I can to get you through this wedding trip unscathed. Okay?”

Kurt smiled in gratitude, then cleared his throat so he wouldn’t start crying. “Well, if we’re going to be friends for a long time-”

“BFFs,” Blaine interrupted cheekily.

“-then there’s something you should know about me. I don’t share cheesecake. You’ll have to get your own.”

++

  
Kurt’s life became a blur of work and Blaine, until before he knew it it was the day before they had to leave for Philadelphia. Blaine seemed to understand that Kurt’s anxiety was at an all time high, and tried to distract him by coming over to snuggle on the couch with a pile of mindless movies.

  
Tina was texting Kurt constantly, freaking out over wedding issues, and they were having fun reading her texts together and sending back messages that were guaranteed to not be helpful at all, so when Kurt’s phone chirped again he thought nothing of opening the text and holding it up for both of them to read.

  
Only this time the text was from Adam.

  
**I am no longer bringing a plus one. I’m hoping you decide not to as well. I would like to spend some time alone with you**

  
Kurt felt Blaine tense behind him on the couch. He closed the text and put the phone down with a sigh.

  
“You never told me why you two broke up,” Blaine said after a few moments of silence.

  
“Well, you know the saying ‘it’s not you, it’s me’? Let’s just say that Adam went with the opposite approach. I’m too self centered, I don’t let anyone in, I have no idea how to be in a real relationship, and I’m basically impossible to love.” Kurt recited it in an as matter of fact voice as he could, not wanting to let Blaine know how badly those words had wounded him. He had known his and Adam’s relationship was not perfect, but he hadn’t had any idea just how unhappy Adam was, or all the ways in which he had failed as a boyfriend.

  
“So that’s why you were looking for someone who could act like they were completely in love with you.”

  
“Yeah. Pathetic, huh?” Kurt closed his eyes. “I just couldn’t face the thought of showing up single, and him throwing it in my face as proof that he was right.”

  
“Kurt, no.” Blaine rearranged them so that Kurt was now sitting across his lap, and his hands cupped Kurt’s face. “I’ve spent the last three weeks with you and I have never seen any of that. I promise.”

  
Kurt nodded and gave Blaine a wobbly smile. It was nice to hear, but the fact was Kurt *was* still single. It was Blaine’s opinion versus Adam’s, and Adam had spent a lot more time with him.

  
“And I don’t think Adam truly believes them either. Why would he want to get back together with you if he did?”

  
“I don’t know. I’d think he just wanted to sleep with me again except he said I was too uptight in bed as well.”

  
They both stared at the TV for a few minutes, but they had obviously lost any interest in the movie.

  
“I have a better idea than sitting here and talking about your rude ex. Friends of mine are having a party tonight. You want to go with me? We can practice our dance moves.”

  
++

  
Despite not being in a mood to party at all, Kurt forced himself to get ready and go. If he stayed home alone he would just make himself depressed. Plus, he was curious to see more of Blaine’s life. All of the time they’d spent together had just been the two of them.

The party was in a slightly larger than average Manhattan apartment. Kurt made sure to smile as Blaine introduced his friends, only to have the smile freeze on his face when Blaine introduced Kurt as his boyfriend.

  
“Blaine,” Kurt said behind his smile, “What are you doing?”

  
“What do you mean?”

  
“You just introduced me as your boyfriend! What are they going to think next week when that’s not true anymore?”

  
“I hadn’t really thought about that,” Blaine said nonchalantly. “but, hey, we can use this as a rehearsal for the wedding. See if they buy it.”

  
Kurt’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but he finally decided it was Blaine’s call. He accepted a beer, and drained it a little faster than normal. He was tired of feeling anxious. He wanted a few hours of not thinking about anything, and dancing with Blaine and drinking felt like an awesome solution.

  
He lost track of the number of songs that they’d danced together to, or the number of drinks that they both put away. All he knew was that he was sweaty and tipsy and Blaine was warm and solid and smelled so good...

  
A slower song started, and Kurt found himself with an armful of Blaine, his arms around Kurt’s neck and their faces only inches apart. Kurt couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of Blaine’s mouth, and the few glances he managed told him that Blaine was facing a similar challenge. They were both breathing much harder than the speed of their dancing required, and Kurt realized that he’d never been so turned on in his life.

“Blaine,” he whispered, but had no idea what to follow it with. And then it didn’t matter, because Blaine was crashing their mouths together, and Kurt was immediately an enthusiastic participant.

He wasn’t sure how long it went on for, he just knew that when they finally broke apart the slow song was over and his skinny jeans were causing him physical pain.

Blaine’s mouth didn’t move very far away, traveling along Kurt’s jawline and down to his neck. Kurt whimpered.

  
Blaine worked his way up to Kurt’s ear and whispered “Come with me.” Kurt stared at him with wide eyes before allowing himself to be led through the crowd towards the hallway. Blaine seemed to know where he was going, heading straight for the second door on the left. Kurt had just enough time to note it was a bedroom before Blaine shut the door behind them and pushed Kurt against it. Their mouths fused again, followed by the rest of their bodies.

Kurt groaned and writhed against the body plastering him to the door, until the physical discomfort of his pants got to be too much. He couldn’t think about anything but chasing the pleasure that Blaine was sharing with him, and wiggled around just enough to unbutton his jeans and start peeling them down. 

Blaine got with the program quickly, unbuttoning his own pants and pushing them down to mid thigh, along with his underwear, and within minutes of entering the room, they were both bare at the waist, cocks rubbing against each other. Blaine’s mouth came back to Kurt’s neck and Kurt thunked his head back against the door, overcome and mindless with arousal. It wasn’t long before Kurt keened his release and Blaine followed along with a groan.

  
“Oh my god,” Kurt panted. “Oh my god. Is that what sex is supposed to feel like? Adam was right. I was too uptight in bed. That was amazing.”

  
“Oh sweetheart, you think that was good? You haven’t seen anything yet,” Blaine spun them around and walked Kurt backwards towards the bed. “But no more talking about Adam tonight.”

  
++

  
The next morning Kurt awoke alone in a strange bed. His sore head made him want to burrow back under the covers. The other soreness he could feel in his body made him want to go find Blaine so they could talk. His bladder, however, vetoed both those ideas, and he got up to find a bathroom.

  
After he was done he headed towards the living room where he could hear talking, only to hesitate before stepping into view. While he had fixed his hair as best he could without a shower and a ton of products, he was hesitant to show this less than perfect side of himself to Blaine’s friends, or even to Blaine himself. Adam had always said that his looks were one of his best assets, and he never liked to see Kurt less than photoready.

  
As Kurt was arguing with himself, the conversation going on around the corner starting filtering through his ears.

  
“I for one, am very grateful that you brought a boyfriend, Blaine. We all know how slutty you get when you drink, and this way the rest of us didn’t have to worry about you molesting us.”

  
“Ha, ha, Trevor. Like you’d ever have to worry about it. You’re not my type.”

  
“But seriously Blaine,” a different voice said, “He’s cute. I didn’t get a chance to really talk to him, seeing as how you kept him attached to you all night. Were you worried about someone else trying to swoop in there? Is this one a keeper?”

  
“Mostly I was saving him from what most of your other friends consider entertaining conversation. We’re just starting out. Feeling out the potential.”

  
“Oh yeah, we definitely heard you two feeling it out last night!” Laughter broke out, and Kurt closed his eyes in mortification. He had already turned around to slip back into the bedroom when he heard Blaine speak again.

  
“I’m going to see if he’s awake yet. If you don’t see us again it’s because I had us leave through the window so he doesn’t have to deal with any of you.”

  
Kurt closed the door behind himself and had just sat down on the edge of the bed when Blaine entered. Neither of them spoke. Kurt felt completely lost, and tried to find a starting point in Blaine’s expression as he leaned against the closed door.

  
Thankfully, Blaine took the first step. “You heard some of that, didn’t you?”

  
Kurt’s blush returned full force, and his voice was higher than he would’ve liked when he said “I heard you’re a slutty drunk.” He hoped to God it came out sounding teasing and not judgmental.

  
Now it was Blaine’s turn to blush. “More affectionate than slutty. It’s not like I would cheat on someone if I got drunk and they weren’t around.”

  
“But when you’re single?”

  
Blaine shrugged one shoulder. “I still have pretty high standards, but I’ve been known to hook up.”

  
“It’s not like I can judge you, I just did the same thing,” Kurt said, looking down at his hands. “Apparently I need alcohol to help me loosen up in bed. Couldn’t manage it in a five month relationship. I couldn’t even get myself to more than kiss any of the guys I tried to date after Adam. Maybe after the wedding I should start going to clubs and see if I can at least get the sex part right.”

  
Blaine sat down on the bed beside him and reached over to take one of his hands. “Kurt, can I ask you something? I’ve seen you around NYADA,which is full of some of the most catty people I’ve ever met. We’ve talked about what it was like growing up in the midwest. All of those people who insulted the way you dressed, for instance, you never let it change what you wear one bit. I’ve never seen you let any of that get to you. But what Adam said, you seem to have taken as truth. What makes his words so different?”

  
Kurt just shook his head, knowing there was no way he’d get any words out.

  
“Just because he said it doesn’t make it true. Hell, even if he truly believes it, that doesn’t make any of it true. Someday you’ll find the love of your life, and I don’t want Adam’s bitterness to make you doubt that you deserve him.” Blaine squeezed his hand, and they sat there, side by side in silence while Kurt tried to absorb Blaine’s words.

  
“Do you regret last night? Did I push you too far?” Blaine’s voice was quieter, worried.

  
“Blaine, no,” Kurt was quick to reassure. “In case I haven’t mentioned it a thousand times already, that was by far the best sex I’ve had. I didn’t know I had it in me.”

  
“Well that’s hardly a compliment,” Blaine deadpanned, and Kurt smacked him in the shoulder.

  
“I am worried about one thing, though. Is the sex going to cost me extra?”

  
Blaine grinned, “Are you kidding? I would’ve gladly paid you for that.”

  
Kurt shook his head, amused. “I’m okay with neither of us playing the role of the prostitute.”

  
Blaine’s smile softened with a hint of uncertainty. “So, still friends?”

  
Kurt had to take an extra breath to loosen the sudden tightness in his chest. “Friends, yes. Of course.“ He cleared his throat. “But if we don’t get ready to go soon, I know a certain bridezilla who will probably murder me for being late.”

  
++

  
Despite Adam’s best attempts, Kurt managed to avoid any conversations with him that ventured past polite small talk for the first two days of their time in Philly. It helped that Blaine stuck to him like glue, with a supportive arm around his waist or shoulder any time he could physically manage it.

  
Unfortunately just seeing Adam again brought back a lot of Kurt’s insecurities, and he thought he might go crazy if he spent anymore time mentally picking apart his relationship with Blaine - wondering if Blaine really did consider them just friends. To save his sanity, he threw himself into Tina’s hands, volunteering for any task that came up. Even though Blaine almost always accompanied him, he was on a mission, and there was no time for deep thoughts or conversations.

++

  
After dinner at the hotel restaurant, the members of the wedding party went to the hotel ballroom to do a quick rehearsal. Kurt left Blaine at the bar, where he was deep in conversation with Tina’s aunt, who was planning a trip to the Philippines.

  
Kurt steeled himself for having to walk down the aisle with Adam, refusing to make eye contact with him. He kept his smile in place for Marco’s sake, despite Adam’s constant attempts to touch him. As soon as rehearsal was over Kurt started to make his way out of the ballroom to find Blaine, only to be pulled off to the side at the last minute by Adam’s hand on his arm. Tina and Marco and the rest of the wedding party were too deep in conversation to notice.

  
“Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  
Kurt figured this was coming. After that text he knew he couldn’t avoid a conversation with Adam completely.

  
“Can we make it fast? I’m supposed to meet Blaine.” He kept his voice polite, with an edge of impatience despite the knots in his stomach. His drama coach would be proud.

  
“Yeah, about Blaine… look Kurt, I just don’t want to see you break his heart like you broke mine. I’ve watched you two together today, and he seems to really care about you –“

  
“He does,” Kurt interrupted, “And I’m very happy with him, too.” He refrained from saying he loved Blaine. The first time he admitted that out loud was not going to be to Adam, of all people.

  
“Yes, but he’s just a boy. One who’s a little too besotted by you. Is he going to be able to tell you what you need to hear when you need some honest criticism to get you back on track? Or will you resent him when your career goes nowhere because you were more focused on him than the hard work you needed to put in? Or maybe he’ll realize that he’ll never have all of you, and what he does get just isn’t enough?” Adam’s tone was more reasonable than condescending, but Kurt felt the intended jabs like ice cold needles to the heart anyway.

  
“That’s for me and Blaine to figure out together. We didn’t ask you for relationship counseling.” Kurt yanked his arm out of Adam’s grasp, only to find himself backed against the wall as Adam crowded into him, pressing their bodies together and lowering his head to speak close to Kurt’s ear.

  
“You look so gorgeous.”

  
Kurt pushed Adam away firmly. “You aren’t making my decisions for me anymore.”

  
Adam smiled. “You like to pretend you’re hard to read, but don’t forget I know you. I know exactly what you like and what you need. I’m serious. I miss you.”

  
Kurt was clenching his jaw too tightly to answer, so he threw open the door to just leave instead, only to find himself face to face with Blaine. Blaine and his stupid gorgeous eyes. Suddenly Kurt’s chest felt too tight to get in a proper breath.

  
“I need some fresh air. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he managed to get out, before heading swiftly down the hall. Adam’s voice followed him.

  
“I’m in room 431. Come up anytime.”

  
Kurt could hear the smirk in Adam’s voice, and as he practically punched the exit door open, he wished that he could punch Adam in the face instead. He calmed down after a few minutes of breathing the semi-fresh air near the parking lot, repeating to himself that after tomorrow he hoped to never have to see Adam again.

  
Blaine wasn’t in the hallway where he’d left him, but as he approached the ballroom he heard his voice inside. He stopped just out of sight when he realized that Blaine was talking to Adam.

  
“…none of your business. You guys aren’t together anymore. Let it go and move on.” Kurt had never heard Blaine sound so angry.

  
“I’m just trying to save you the trouble of finding out for yourself. He keeps everyone at a distance. I spent five months trying to get through the walls he’s built up around himself and I don’t think I made a dent.”

  
“Just because you couldn’t get through to him doesn’t mean that no one can. Do you think you’re some kind of perfect boyfriend? Don’t you get it? You just weren’t good together. He couldn’t give you what you need and you most certainly weren’t giving him what he needs. He deserves better than someone who tried to take away everything he found joy in and reduce him to nothing but a face and a voice and a body in your bed.”

  
Part of Kurt was screaming at him to get in there and break this up. It wasn’t Blaine’s job to have a confrontation with Adam, but most of him was completely frozen.

  
“I’m warning you, he’s never going to be what you want.”

  
“He’s already what I want. I’m in love with him, exactly the way he is.”

  
At that, Kurt’s body decided to betray him and he burst into tears.

  
There were voices, and a glimpse of Adam storming off down the hall, and then Kurt was in Blaine’s arms.

  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Blaine kept saying, and Kurt forced himself to calm down so he could ask Blaine what he was apologizing for.

  
Blaine’s eyes were the saddest he’d ever seen, and it pained Kurt so much to see that that he took a few extra seconds to comprehend Blaine’s next words. “I didn’t realize that you still wanted him. I shouldn’t have been so harsh.”

  
“Blaine, I don’t give a shit about Adam. I’d rather prove him right and be single for the rest of my life than get back together with him.”

  
Blaine looked at him in confusion. “Then why are you crying?”

  
“Because,” Kurt said, his chin starting to wobble again. “I know I hired you because you were good at pretending to be in love, but Blaine, you’re so good that I was starting to believe it, and –” A sob broke off his next words, and then Kurt was pulled into Blaine again, so close that his breaths were muffled against Blaine’s shoulder.

  
“Kurt. I have a confession to make. When I saw you sing at the Winter Showcase, I wanted to ask you out right then. I looked for you after the show, only to find you wrapped up in Adam’s arms. I didn’t know you guys had broken up until you told me, or I probably would have tried to strike up a conversation with you months ago.” Kurt pulled back a little, so he could blink, stunned, at Blaine’s face.

  
“These last few weeks have shown me that what I suspected back then was true – that given half a chance, I would fall completely in love with you. No acting required.” Blaine’s smile was hopeful, and Kurt started to cry again, for completely different reasons.

  
“I love you too,” he managed to squeak out, and then his mouth was rather occupied.


End file.
